Good to get the advice about exiting Marakele left and driving around the mountain. We will be there end April for 3 nights, then Mapungubwe and northern KNP. I have never been north of Letaba in KNP, so this will be a new experience.

robertwintle, first best wishes with your treatment.sorry you've been disappointed with Marakele, please do yourself a favor and give it another try with out shooting Marakele down. We go there very often as its closer to us than kruger always getting lots of birds at the camping area and on topp of the hill, sorry mountain, my SO don't like going up the hill as i call it.

Pleas give it another shot, never know you might get the surpriseize of your life.

I am going to suggest that you maybe start a thread in the "travel Tales" section where you can share pictures and experiences from previous trips. My concern is that they are going to get lost in this thread, because people are not going to see them.

Most people who go through the travel tales are either planning a trip, or photographers themselves. You are lokely to find like minded people.

The bird doesn't sing because it has answers, it sings because it has a song.

I enjoyed our trip to Marakele, but have to agree that the number of sightings were really limited. However, there were a lot of other things at Marakele that made the trip worthwhile.

* View from Lenong View Point* Road up the Mountain to Lenong View Point* Sunset at Tlopi Tented Camp (Dam and the Mountain view)* Sunrise at Tlopi Tented Camp (Dam and the Mountain view)* Nature and the small animals we don't always notice.* Sounds at night while lying in the Tlopi Tent

So yes, there is not a lot to see as but there is rather a lot to experience with all the other senses...

"A roaring lion kills no game.""Until lions start writing down their own stories, the hunters will always be heroes.""If you kill a tree, you are killing a bird."“When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.”

I also visited Marakele recently and agree with all Leeukos's positive points. I also had the great good luck to spot three black rhino! And much else, tho no predators.

On the negative side, I found Marakele's roads to be the least sedan-friendly roads I have ever encountered in a SANPark -- badly corrugated, plus lots of deep and wide 'channels' that were clearly the results of flooding, difficult to negotiate rocky areas and more. Eina!!! Strangely, some of the 4x4 only roads in Mapungubwe -- which I drove in error because they were not marked as 4x4 only -- were far easier for a sedan to negotiate (altho I expect they would not have been were it muddy, but then much of Marakele's roads would likely also be impossible for a sedan after heavy rains).

Marakele is a park in the making. SANParks has recently re-introduced 15 buffalo folowing their removal some years ago due to a Theileria disease outbreak. Spotted hyena are also in the process of being introduced.

The Park will evenutally offer a range of eco-tourism experiences to those who are looking for the iconic sightings as well as those who are happy with the smaller stuff eg ardvark, birding etc, or just being in a bushveld environment.

The range of accommodation is also being increased. 10 tents are being added next to the Bontle camping site, and a guest house is currently being upgraded. The Modikela bush camp will be next in line for re-commissioning.

Soon we can change the title of this topic from 'Disappointed in Marakele' to 'Mad about Marakele'.